This research evaluated the extent to which two series of in-house English textbooks in Thailand, New Weaving It Together and Moving Up Critical Reading, enhance cultural awareness among different learners. A three-level model of cultural awareness established by Baker (2011) was adopted as a framework to analyze the content of the selected materials. We descriptively analyzed 120 reading passages and 150 reading exercises in total. The agreement between the two raters was almost perfect. Overall, the content of the New Weaving It Together series has more significant potential to increase cultural awareness at basic and advanced levels as opposed to that of the Moving Up Critical Reading series. We suggested that reading passages and exercises in locally-produced ELT materials should integrate content focusing on different traditional or cultural aspects and knowledge across disciplines or subjects. These include stories about science, technology, and geography, enhancing intercultural sensitivity and awareness.

The purpose of this session is to highlight how collaborative group discussions on historical fiction can help facilitate cultural understanding. The session will begin by briefly discussing the research of Jaran Shin, who suggests that teaching historical fiction both helps with language proficiency while also developing cultural knowledge. The speaker will then introduce the historical fiction novel “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” which gives students an understanding of both past and current racial and class tensions in the United States. The speaker will then describe collaborative discussions on the novel in the form of Discussion Circles, which allow students to form their own hypotheses about characters and events, form their own questions about the target culture, and shape their understanding of the United States. Attendees will come away with an increased awareness on the usefulness of historical fiction and peer discussion for developing cultural knowledge, especially in the context of Discussion Circles.

Given its intertwined nature with culture, language is an undoubtedly significant vehicle that helps learners understand their interlocutors in intercultural communication. However, culture in EFL education is often used to distinguish and classify people regarding nationality, race/ethnicity, class, gender, history, and cultural activities and practices rooted in geographical categorization (Irani & Dourish, 2009; Kramsch, 2014). Within the framework of critical intercultural education (Dervin, 2020), this study investigates cultural and linguistic values and beliefs embedded in supplemental learning materials for Korean Grade 6 EFL students. Using mediated discourse analysis (Wells & Wong, 2012), this study analyzes hidden messages and meanings in multimodal semiotic systems within the material (i.e., an animated video clip). Findings reveal ideological values of English and Korean and the deficit view of non-Korean ethnic people. This study urges teachers, researchers, textbook makers, and other stakeholders to challenge the practice of the us-and-them dichotomy in Korean EFL education and develop interculturality among students and teachers.

In the Global Classroom, we unite middle school students around the world together to innovate local solutions to world issues with the help of experts. In our latest project we explored the question: How does the food we eat impact global warming? First, students studied the causes and effects of global warming on their country. Then, they analyzed the impact of the food they ate and came together to create strategies to decrease their carbon footprint. Then, they met to dialogue with experts about the food production and distribution process. Finally, they designed and implemented relevant local solutions like planting a school garden, vegetarian Mondays in the cafeteria, building a biodigester and exploring eating insects as a source of alternative protein.

All of our projects allow students to learn to research, speak and collaborate deeply with peers and experts across the globe. Our projects also help students develop a sense of belonging to a world community and a sense of agency to live in the world in a way that contributes to the greater good.

Strict border controls and travel restrictions have halted many study abroad programs and overseas internships, inadvertently depriving students of educational opportunities in cross-cultural experiences. This presentation will outline the pedagogical approach and learning content of a Cultural Awareness and Intercultural Communication course, which sought to bring about positive changes in students in terms of intercultural understanding, English presentation and communication skills, and digital literacy. This study sought to evaluate course effectiveness, answering the central question: “To what extent were students satisfied with their experiences participating in this course format?” Throughout the course, students used Telegram and Flipgrid to connect with students from places such as Algeria, Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey. Both qualitative and quantitative feedback were collected online at the end of the course. In general, the level of satisfaction of the students towards the course was 96%.

As the importance of the cultural dimension in education gains traction in language learning, instructors are increasingly expected to incorporate intercultural literacy into their teaching. However, opportunities for authentic cross-cultural exchanges may be limited, and digital media is often the only exposure to different worlds, resulting in misconceptions and skewed images of other people. We, therefore, conducted a ten-week exchange between 190 Japanese and American learners to examine how communication skills, interests in other cultures, and stereotypes might be altered. The project included a demographic questionnaire, followed by a 22-question survey where perceptions and attitudes could be compared through pre-post quantitative and qualitative data. Student tasks included creating three-minute group video productions, listening to music, drawing animations, tasting foreign foods, and culminating with an interactive 90-minute webinar. The presentation concludes with a framework that can lead students to meaningful learning outcomes – collaboration, experiential learning, self-reflection, and better cross-cultural understanding.